Bueng Kan

Bueng Kan (บึงกาฬ, ) is a town municipality (thesaban mueang) in Mueang Bueng Kan district, in Bueng Kan province, Isan (northeastern Thailand). It is the district capital and is on the Mekong River, opposite the Laotian town of Pakxan of Bolikhamsai province. It lies at the junction of Highways 212 and 222, 136 km northeast of Nong Khai and 750. km northeast of Bangkok. The economy is based on agriculture, with para rubber as the principal crop, and tourism.

Toponymy
Bueng (บึง) means marsh; Kan (กาฬ) is associated with the Hindu deity Kāla, or the colour black.

History
The settlement became a sanitary district in 1956. Like all sanitary districts, it was upgraded to sub-district municipality in 1999. Bueng Kan was formerly part of Nong Khai Province until the formal establishment of the new province of the same name on 23 March 2011. On 25 March 2020, the Ministry of Interior announce to dissolve Wisit subdistrict municipality and Bueng Kan subdistrict administrative organization (SAO) and combine the two with Bueng Kan subdistrict municipality. Also upgrade the status of the latter to Bueng Kan town municipality. Published in Royal Gazette, volume 137, special section 179 Ngor, date 5 August 2020 and effective on the same date.

Geography
Wisit subdistrict, west part of Bueng Kan town municipality are plains interspersed with undulating, uneven slopes. Bueng Kan subdistrict, most of the east part of Bueng Kan town municipality is lowland with watersources, such as Nong Bueng Kan, Nong Fang Daeng and Huai Kan Ya.

Local government
The administration of Bueng Kan town municipality (เทศบาลเมืองบึงกาฬ) is responsible for the combined area of Wisit and Bueng Kan subdistricts, that covers 59,494 rai ~ 95.19 sqkm and consists of total 24 administrative villages (muban). As of 2022: 20,103 people. The town municipality is divided into three districts (khet).

Transportation
The city is connected to many major cities by day and night airconditioned express buses. The journey to Udon Thani takes around 3 hours 45 minutes, and Bangkok is from 10 hours 30 minutes to  12 hours away depending on company and route.

Udon Thani International Airport with direct flights (under normal conditions) to Chiang Mai, Pattaya U-Tapao, Phuket, and both Bangkok airports, is at 200km by road from the city. Sakon Nakhon regional airport at 172km with flights to Bangkok (Don Mueang) at 172km.

The nearest rail connection is Udon Thani railway station in the centre of Udon city.

Building of the fifth Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge began in 2021. Construction of the bridge at about 4km west of the city centre is expected to take 3 years for a completion in 2023. The project will link the cities of Bueng Kan in Thailand and Bolikhamxai in Laos across the Mekong River. Its cost will be around US$130.3 million. Thailand has agreed to pay US$25.47 million and Laos is covering about US$46.13 million. The bridge will enable Vietnam to be reached by road from Thailand through Laos over a distance of 150km. Already existing Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges link Nong Khai province with Vientiane Prefecture (First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge; Mukdahan with Savannakhet (Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge); Nakhon Phanom with Thakhek (Third Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge); and Chiang Rai province with Houayxay (Fourth Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge).